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Boot company Lucchese to reopen Santa Fe Plaza shop
Company made updates to store鈥檚 interior, added new amenities
After a 90-day hiatus, Western lifestyle brand Lucchese Bootmaker is reopening in the heart of the Santa Fe Plaza.
The single shop in the Land of Enchantment closed in March to 鈥渟pruce up鈥� the interior and provide new offerings, said Lucchese spokesperson Fallon Appleton, who described it as one of the brand鈥檚 鈥渃rown jewel鈥� locations. The newly designed store features a hat steamer for custom shaping, an embossing machine and a dedicated semiprivate custom boot design suite.
Lucchese did not disclose the cost of renovations.
鈥淲e鈥檙e really excited to (have been able to) give this store a much-needed renovation that really honors the southwestern lifestyle that New Mexico and Santa Fe are known for,鈥� Appleton said.
The company, launched by Italian brothers who moved to the U.S. in 1882, opened its first location in 1883 in San Antonio. The Santa Fe location later opened in 1994 on West Water Street before moving to its current location in 2012. Since the national brand鈥檚 founding, it has sold a variety of men鈥檚 and women鈥檚 boots online, with the least expensive pair selling for around $245 and the most expensive just under $5,000.
Customers who walk into the renovated store can leave with a variety of apparel, including cowboy hats, accessories and travel goods, Appleton said. The location鈥檚 top-selling pair of boots is the women鈥檚 Priscilla style in the off-white color, selling for roughly $1,100. In the future, shoppers can expect to see unique collections available at select locations, she said.
On average, Appleton said roughly 180 factory workers at the El Paso headquarters touch a Lucchese boot during the creation process, just before being shipped to Santa Fe. She said this aspect positively reinforces the brand鈥檚 reputation.
The grand reopening will occur Saturday from 2-6 p.m. at 57 Old Santa Fe Trail. Customers can enjoy snacks while purchasing locally hand-beaded products or watching a live painting.
鈥淚 think this store specifically honors local craftsmanship while maintaining Lucchese鈥檚 heritage of handmade western boots, and for people to come in and experience that I think is really important,鈥� Appleton said.
Keelin Fisher is a business reporter for the Journal. You can reach her at kfisher@abqjournal.com.
